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Deanna Johnson
Deanna Johnson
Contestant Profile
Nationality: American
Hometown: Hazlehurst, GA
Occupation: Makeup Artist, Model
The Voice
Version: U.S.
Season: 8
Genre: Pop, Indie Folk, Country, CCM
Team(s): Adam Levine
Finish: 9th place
Chairs Turned
Chair2
Adam
Chair2
Pharrell
Chair2
Christina
Chair2
Blake

Deanna Johnson was a contestant on Season 8 of The Voice, being part of Team Adam; she had originally auditioned for Season 5, however, but failed to turn a chair.

After re-auditioning in hopes of regaining her confidence, Deanna's powerful performance of Kodaline's "All I Want" earned her a four-chair turn, and she selected Adam Levine as her coach. She made it to the Knockouts round, where it was clear that despite being a great vocalist, Deanna had serious confidence issues and could end up not handling the pressure of the live shows; nonetheless, she advanced to the Live Playoffs, where Adam decided that singing a traditional Christian song could help bringing her comfort on-stage, a strategy that ultimately paid off and earned Deanna the public's vote that round.

However, Adam's decision to give her a Contemporary Christian song once again the following week was questioned not only by the viewers, but by Deanna herself, who openly stated that she was unsure if it would be a good idea. Coupled with the coach's insistence on bringing up her uphill battle to overcome her nerve-issues, when she already seemed to have gotten over them, Deanna saw herself singing for the first Instant Save of the season on the Live Top 12 Results night, where she managed to win the save and advance to the Top 10. There, another miscalculated song choice by Adam saw Deanna landing in the Bottom 3 once again, where she would be eliminated after narrowly losing the Instant Save to Joshua Davis.

Early life[]

During high school, Johnson sang in church and at rodeos. She also played basketball, volleyball, and softball, and was crowned homecoming queen. Her team at ACA won two Georgia girl's state basketball championships and a national tournament in 2013 while making the all-tournament team. Johnson's volleyball team also won a state championship, a Division 2 state championship, and she was voted MVP of her team in her senior year. Her softball team also won a state title and the NACA national championship in 2012.

Career[]

2013: The Voice[]

While still in high school, Johnson auditioned on Season 5 of The Voice covering the Grace Potter song Stars. The audition happened in the late rounds, and only two coaches were available to turn their chairs: Blake Shelton and CeeLo Green, neither of which did so.

2015: The Voice[]

Deanna reauditioned for Season 8, and this time, all four coaches (Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams) turned their chairs; she eventually selected Adam Levine as her coach. Before finally being eliminated, Johnson showed her vocal flexibility by singing covers of songs in indie folk, pop music, Americana, Contemporary Christian Music, soul, rock, and country styles.

Performances[]

Season 5[]

Round Song Original artist Result
Blind Auditions "Stars" Grace Potter
and the Nocturnals
No chairs turned
Failed to join a team

Season 8[]

Round Song Original artist Date Order Result
Blind Auditions "All I Want" Kodaline February 24, 2015 N/A All four chairs turned
Joined Team Adam
Battle Rounds
(Top 48)
"Love Me Like You Do"
(vs. Nicolette Maré)
(Montaged performance)
Ellie Goulding March 10, 2015 N/A Won
Knockout Rounds
(Top 32)
"Listen to Your Heart"
(vs. Blaze Johnson)
Roxette March 24, 2015 N/A Won
Live Playoffs
(Top 20)
"Down to the River to Pray" Traditional Christian song April 7, 2015 10 Advanced as the
second Public's Vote
Top 12 "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" Hillsong United April 13, 2015 5 Bottom 3
Instant Save
(Top 12)
"It Will Rain" Bruno Mars April 14, 2015 3 Instant Saved
Top 10 "Somebody to Love" Jefferson Airplane April 20, 2015 6 Bottom 3
Instant Save
(Top 10)
"Help Me Make It Through the Night" Kris Kristofferson April 21, 2015 2 Eliminated
Non-competition performances
Round Song Original Artist Date Order
Live Playoffs Results "Diamonds"
(with Brian Johnson, Joshua Davis, Nathan Hermida, Tonya Boyd-Cannon)
Rihanna April 8, 2015 4
Live Top 10 Results "Rocket Man"
(with the Top 10)
Elton John April 21, 2015 1
Live Top 10 Results "The Joker"
(with Adam Levine and Joshua Davis)
Steve Miller Band April 21, 2015 2
Live Finale "She Talks to Angels"
(with Joshua Davis, Brian Johnson, Corey Kent White, and Kimberly Nichole)
Black Crowes May 19, 2015 7

Influences[]

Musically, DeAnna has mentioned artists such as Florence and The Machine, the Civil Wars, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton as influences. Her contralto voice, a "blend of strength, fragility" with vibrato, country yodel, and English folk inflections has been compared to Cher ("trademark full-throated Cher-like tone", Crystal Gayle, Florence Welch, Patsy Cline, Sandy Denny, and Amy Lee.

Post-The Voice[]

  • In November 2016, Deanna competed in the Miss Georgia USA pageant held in Atlanta, GA. Her platform cause is anti-trafficking of children and she has cited Ashton Kutcher's work as a role model in the fight against child abuse and exploitation. In that same year, the Georgia State House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate added resolutions to recognize DeAnna Johnson's achievements.
    • Prior to that, she had been crowned Miss Vidalia Onion Queen and Relay for Life Miss Appling County in 2016.
  • In May 2017, Johnson competed in the preliminary and finals of the Miss USA pageant held in Las Vegas, NV, representing the state of Georgia.
  • During the Miss USA competition, it was announced that she plans to continue her studies in fashion design.

Trivia[]

  • In livestream Q&As held with fans, Deanna had confirmed that she was set to perform "Believe" by Cher had she advanced to the Top 8.
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